254
30
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
manding, South China, drafted on the 26th of June to various places along the frontier. This force furnished patrols which moved about the country at various hours by night and by day. It was withdrawn on the 30th of November for annual training in camp in the New Territories. These patrols proved most efficient and the thanks of the Colonial Government were conveyed to the officers and men concerned and to the military authorities for the valuable assistance thus rendered.
On the night of the 19th of August an attack was made on the police station at Ch'eung Chau, where one European serjeant and four Indian constables were stationed, by a gang of pirates and robbers about 40 strong who came from Macao in a junk, landed at the back of the island, and at once proceeded to the police station which is situated in the village. The Indian constable on guard in the village was shot down, as were two other Indian constables who emerged from the houses in the village in which they had been permitted to live with their families. The station was ransacked and a sum of $1,000 was stolen from the safe together with all the arms and accoutrements of the detachment. The money consisted of crown rent and taxes which were being collected at that time of the year. The pirates next looted a pawnshop and then seized a launch at anchor off the village and made good their escape.
In the course of the enquiries into this daring outrage it was discovered that, on the 26th of June, four Chinese passengers had been carried away by pirates, who pirated a ferry launch plying between Tai O, in Lantao, and Hong Kong. The piracy had been reported to the police but no mention had been made of the kidnapping of the four passengers. It was also discovered that on the night of the 30th of June two Chinese had been forcibly carried away from a village in Lantao by robbers who held them to ransom on the island of Wong Kam, near Macao, the jurisdiction over which is in dispute between the Portuguese and Chinese authorities.
As the information of the Hong Kong police pointed to this same island being used as a base by a piratical band, a joint expedition was, at the instance of this Government, organized against the band by the Portuguese and Chinese authorities. Owing to the inevitable delay in arranging the details of such an expedition, the robbers apparently became apprised of the danger which threatened them and the expedition, which took place on 20th of September, proved abortive.
In order to cope with the situation caused by this raid and by the insecurity in the New Territories, an additional launch was bought and armed for the policing of the western waters of the Colony, while steps were taken to strengthen the police doing duty on land in the New Territories by 10 European and 75 Indian police.
A serious boycott of the Low Level Tramway was begun towards the end of November owing to the decision of the company to accept nothing but the legal tender of the Colony in payment of fares. Similar action taken at the same time by the High Level Tramway Company and by the Star Ferry Company passed un-
254
30
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
manding, South China, drafted on the 26th of June to various places along the frontier. This force furnished patrols which moved about the country at various hours by night and by day. It was withdrawn on the 30th of November for annual training in camp in the New Territories. These patrols proved most efficient and the thanks of the Colonial Government were conveyed to the officers and men concerned and to the military authorities for the valuable assistance thus rendered.
On the night of the 19th of August an attack was made on the police station at Ch'eung Chau, where one European serjeant and four Indian constables were stationed, by a gang of pirates and robbers about 40 strong who came from Macao in a junk, landed at the back of the island, and at once proceeded to the police station which is situated in the village. The Indian constable on guard in the village was shot down, as were two other Indian constables who emerged from the houses in the village in which they had been permitted to live with their families. The station was ransacked and a sum of $1,000 was stolen from the safe together with all the arms and accoutrements of the detachment. The money consisted of crown rent and taxes which were being collected at that time of the year. The pirates next looted a pawnshop and then seized a launch at anchor off the village and made good their escape.
In the course of the enquiries into this daring outrage it was discovered that, on the 26th of June, four Chinese passengers had been carried away by pirates, who pirated a ferry launch plying between Tai O, in Lantao, and Hong Kong. The piracy had been reported to the police but no mention had been made of the kidnapping of the four passengers. It was also discovered that on the night of the 30th of June two Chinese had been forcibly carried away from a village in Lantao by robbers who held them to ransom on the island of Wong Kam, near Macao, the jurisdiction over which is in dispute between the Portuguese and Chinese authorities.
As the information of the Hong Kong police pointed to this same island being used as a base by a piratical band, a joint expedition was, at the instance of this Government, organized against the band by the Portuguese and Chinese authorities. Owing to the inevitable delay in arranging the details of such an expedition, the robbers apparently became apprised of the danger which threatened them and the expedition, which took place on 20th of September, proved abortive.
In order to cope with the situation caused by this raid and by the insecurity in the New Territories, an additional launch was bought and armed for the policing of the western waters of the Colony, while steps were taken to strengthen the police doing duty on land in the New Territories by 10 European and 75 Indian police.
A serious boycott of the Low Level Tramway was begun towards the end of November owing to the decision of the company to accept nothing but the legal tender of the Colony in payment of fares. Similar action taken at the same time by the High Level Tramway Company and by the Star Ferry Company passed un-
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